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A review by dreareads_
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
4.5
When I first started this book I was wondering why people kept telling me that it was one of the most difficult fantasy books to read…. Then I got to the halfway point and I never recovered.
This is a very well written book but I will say that the Gods plot line felt like its weakest part. Everything to do with the pantheon felt as if it belonged in another story, especially when compared to the viscerally shredding events happening in the human centered plot line.
Rin as a character is fascinating, and absolutely terrifying in the end. The issue I had was that it felt as if she got lost in the background in the middle of the story. Her arc at the end do the story is one where the reader has to confront the horrifying satisfaction and failure of Rins actions. A chilling event.
In addition, there is a “romance” subplot that is being developed that felt forced in. Almost as if an editor said “this won’t sell without romance” it was only present for about a chapter, it wasn’t so distracting that it affected my overall score.
In the end, The Poppy War is a reflection of humanity at its worst. It is a story that echoes the horrors of the past, and highlights the terrors of today. This was a great book that I never want to read again.
TW: Rape, Murder, torture, addiction, violence, gang rape, forced institutionalization, femicide, child murder, pedophilia, war crimes, genocide, drugging, slavery, racism, sexism.
This is a very well written book but I will say that the Gods plot line felt like its weakest part. Everything to do with the pantheon felt as if it belonged in another story, especially when compared to the viscerally shredding events happening in the human centered plot line.
Rin as a character is fascinating, and absolutely terrifying in the end. The issue I had was that it felt as if she got lost in the background in the middle of the story. Her arc at the end do the story is one where the reader has to confront the horrifying satisfaction and failure of Rins actions. A chilling event.
In addition, there is a “romance” subplot that is being developed that felt forced in. Almost as if an editor said “this won’t sell without romance” it was only present for about a chapter, it wasn’t so distracting that it affected my overall score.
In the end, The Poppy War is a reflection of humanity at its worst. It is a story that echoes the horrors of the past, and highlights the terrors of today. This was a great book that I never want to read again.
TW: Rape, Murder, torture, addiction, violence, gang rape, forced institutionalization, femicide, child murder, pedophilia, war crimes, genocide, drugging, slavery, racism, sexism.